Lincoln County to auction off surplus vehicles, equipment

A list of Lincoln County vehicles and equipment was declared surplus last week and will be sold as part of an online auction, while other items from a disbanded drug investigation unit will be returned to the state narcotics program.

Michele Caskey, who oversees the county's inventory, told county commissioners at their meeting last week that in line with state requirements, she needed permission from the commission to proceed with the disposal of the equipment, including computers. The hard drives of the computers must be removed "in an official manner" before they go to sale, probably for scrap, she said.

That official manner means COFEX Computing representatives will pull the hard drives and certify them as destroyed. "We will have an official document to give to the state," she said.

Chairman Jackie Powell said previously, county vehicles were sold with the identifying decals intact. "I don't know if it was last year or the year before, we sold a sheriff's vehicle and that vehicle still has all the sheriff's information on it," she said.

"We have officially contracted with a company to remove all of the decals from vehicles before they are auctioned," Caskey said. "Before, we were just spray painting over the decals, and over time, the paint was coming off."

Powell said other county vehicles also should undergo the same cleansing and Caskey confirmed they are being cleaned of decals.

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"One of things we're also seeing, as we've gone to public surplus auction, most of the vehicles are being purchased out of state and out of the area," Caskey said. "Not as many local people are purchasing the vehicles. Most of them are going to Arizona. They are not lingering."

Although no radios are included on the current list, when they are up for disposal, someone literally uses a fireman's ax to chop them in half, Caskey said. "There is no way to clear the memory off of those," she said. The radios don't require specific permission from the commission for disposal, she said. Many of the useless electronics are dropped off when an E-Waste recycling event is scheduled, she said.

The auctions are going very well and the county is making substantial money from its surplus items, about twice the amount of previous onsite auctions, Caskey said. The only complaint she receives are from locals, who no longer can buy vehicles and other items for extremely low amounts, she said.

In connection with the surplus disposal, Caskey said the State Auditor wants equipment that belonged to a now defunct county High Intensity Drug Task Force unit officially returned for distribution to other units.

"In September 2012, the county narcotics enforcement unit was disbanded and its inventory was transferred to other (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas)task forces throughout the state," Caskey said. "All items were purchased with HIDTA grant funds and were never the actual property of the county, although between 2000 and 2004, they were included as county capital assets."

Officials with HIDTA didn't think the county needed permission and she never sought commission approval for disposal, Casket said. The State Auditor disagreed.

County Attorney Alan Morel said the items were titled in the county's name, "because technically they were ours. We were the fiscal agent for the task force. They need to be conveyed to others, because they were not purchased with county money."

County Manager Nita Taylor said the incident taught her to contact the State Auditor when something new is encountered to determine the necessary steps.

Commissioner Mark Doth said he has experience with state and federal grants. "I've never encountered a situation where an entity made a purchase with a grant and then was not given ownership of the assets," he said. "It's up to you to dispose of it as you choose unless it is written into the grant itself. This is an exemption I've never come across."

Commissioners approved the disposal resolution for the list of HIDTA items valued at $58,319, including three vehicles and a travel trailer.